Rhodes
The Kingdom of Rhodes is a small, developing nation, located on the islands of Rhodes, Chalki, and Alimia in the Dodecanese Islands, on the Aegean Sea. It is a mostly isolated nation, with ties only to the Athenian Federation, from which it declared independence. The country is almost entirely Greek, with only hints of Turkish influence from previous Ottoman rule and the proximity of Anatolia. Rhodes's primary concerns are overpopulation and the ongoing conflict between the Rhodean military, loyal to King Ioannes I, and a mercenary force hired by former Chancellor Nicolaos Aniketos in the name of a Rhodean Republic. =History= Pre-20th Century Rhodes originated as an independent city-state, founded by Minoans and furthered by the Dorians. It became a center of trade amongst the Greek cities, and was home to the famous Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. During ancient times, it played a minor role in Greek politics, and was a member of the Athenian League, and participated half-heartedly in the Peloponnesian War. After falling to the Persian Empire in 340 BC, Rhodes was liberated by Alexander the Great of Macedon, and after the fall of his empire, became largely independent again, fending off a siege by one of Alexander's successor states to preserve this state. In 164 BC, Rhodes became a close ally of the Roman Empire, and was eventually incoprorated into Rome, and it would remain Roman up until 1309, though most of this was under the Byzantine Empire, and it changed hands several times, being occupied by Arabs, Seljuks, and, finally, Latin knights. Following the Fourth Crusade, Rhodes became the home of the Knights Hospitallier, an order of Crusader Knights not unlike the Templar and Teutons. During the era of the Knights of Rhodes, the famous Palace of the Grand Master was completed, and it now serves as the Royal Palace. The island remained a Crusader state until 1522, when Ottoman Turks overran the fortress at Rodos. Over the next four centuries of Ottoman rule, Rhodes came to be populated by numerous Turks and Jewish settlers, and became the site of a notorious blood libel against the Jewish population in 1840. 20th Century Rhodes changed hands once more in 1912, when Italian soldiers seized the island from the decaying Ottoman Empire, marking another almost half-century of foreign rule, spending a few years under the dominion of Nazi Germany Rhodes would not come under Greek control until 1947, when it joined the Kingdom of Greece with the rest of the Dodecanese islands. Under Greek, and later, Athenian rule, population growth exploded in the later half of the century, increasing from less than a hundred thousand to around four times that number in 1995. Modern Day In early 2009, a grass-roots Rhodean Independence Movement was established, petitioning for Rhodean self-governance, though it didn't gain any major attention until, in early 2010, an attorney by the name of Ioannes Komnenos moved from the mainland to Rhodes, and ultimately uncovered the corruption of the local Athenian governor. When the scandal reached the public, citizens rallied behind the R.I.M, which, in turn, rallied around Komnenos. When the Athenian government finally agreed to release Rhodes in December of 2010, the R.I.M. offered the crown of the new nation to the Komnenos family. Initially, Rhodes was a representative monarchy, with power being divided between the King and a democratically-elected Chancellor and Parliament. King Ioannes I viewed this form of government as ineffective and problematic for a nation the size of Rhodes, and began working with the Rhodean Royalist Party in Parliament to expand Royal powers at the expense of Parliament. A series of assassinations on Rhodean MPs led to the Royal Security and Defense Act, which placed all matters of national security and defense in the hands of the monarch. Soon after, King Ioannes issued a controversial decree dissolving Parliament and the office of Chancellor. Dissolution War The Chancellor at the time, Nicolaos Aniketos, had his own designs on power in Rhodes, and, privately, sought to establish himself as the despot of Rhodes, under a facade of democracy. In the weeks leading up to the dissolution of Parliament, Aniketos amassed a formidable, multinational army of PMCs, and, when his title was stripped away, launched an assault on the coast of Rhodes, using Chalki and Alimia as a base of operations. His hired army secured a beachhead in Atavyros, despite heavy losses, and are now pressing their advantage against an outnumbered Rhodean military. After securing the territory, Aniketos declared the Republic of Rhodes, with him as President and a number of sympathetic Rhodean politicians making up the republic's parliament. A second wave of attacks followed, with mercenaries launching attacks toward Kamiros, Notia Rodos, Lindos, and Archangelos; Royalist soldiers have succeeded in temporarily halting the advances towards Kamiros and Notia Rodos, but the march towards Lindos and Archangelos continues, albeit slowly. The Royalist and Republican forces are now waging a ground war across the center of Rhodes, pitting the quality of the RRGF against the quantity of the Republic's mercenary armies. =Politics= During the era of representative monarchy, politics in Rhodes was based around different parties. There were six major parties. *Rhodean National Party *Rhodean Royalist Party *Rhodean Socialist Party *Rhodean Communist Party *Rhodean Libertarian Party *Rhodean Conservative Party The National and Royalist parties had formed the strongest and most potent force in Parliament, and their tightly knit coalition tended to support the King, which was part of why the Royal Security and Defense Act had passed through Parliament so easily. The Conservative Party, which was ''de facto ''led by Chancellor Nicolaos Aniketos, was far weaker, but through deals and alliances with independents and socialists. They formed the base and substance of the Royal opposition. Now, the country is divided between the King and the Chancellor. King Ioannes I Komnenos has the support of the Rhodean Royal Ground Forces, the Rhodean National Police Force, the former Royalists and Nationalists, and a little over half of the populace; his side is typically referred to as the Royalist side of the conflict, while Chancellor Nicolaos Aniketos is backed by fourteen private military companies, the largest criminal organization in Rhodes, all of the monarchy's political enemies, and a little under half of the population. Because of his message of a Republic of Rhodes, Aniketos's forces are generally referred to as the Republican side. =Military= At present, there is only one branch in the Rhodean military: the Rhodean Royal Ground Forces, or RRGF. It was founded by. The highest ranking officer is General Theodoros Serafeim, who, as a member of the King's Royal Court, answers directly to King Ioannes I, meaning the military is also loyal to the king. The RRGF currently employs 35,000 personnel, though it has the capabilities to arm and equip up to 66,000. Recently, a small fleet of F-15 Eagles and F-111 Aardvarks was purchased by the Kingdom from the United Federation of the East, along with the services of UFE flight trainers. The air force is now being organized for use in the conflict with the Republican army. Rhodean Royal Ground Forces Equipment The RRGF makes use of a variety of military weaponry, typically of German, Soviet, or American origin. The generic RRGF infantryman is equipped with a standard issue AK-47 assault rifle, M1911 semiautomatic pistol, and a Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, and is protected by PASGT combat armor. Each soldier is also trained in the use of one heavier melee weapon of their choice, such as a sword or axe, to give them an edge when fighting close quarters. Armor The Rhodean Armored Corps is equipped almost entirely with weaponry of German design. The main battle tank of the RRGF is the Leopard 2A4, and the primary infantry fighting vehicle is the Mardar 1A1. A small number of Soviet-made BTR-60 APCs are also in service. Artillery Rhodean ground units are supported by a large array of artillery, and artillery batteries form the backbone of Rhodean defensive positions. M270 MRLSs and Sholef 155mm self-propelled howitzers are used extensively in offensive, defensive, and diversionary operations, while towed 2A36 howitzers and M46 field guns are primarily used for defense and to besiege fortified positions, though they are often used to support RRGF infantry advances. Rhodean Royal Air Force The RRAF came into existence during the Dissolution War.